


An Occurrence at Colonel Schoonover’s Cabin

by tryptophan



Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Punisher (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Literary Allusions, Season 2, comic book allusions, not really fluff, the ending they both deserved, two broken souls healing each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6336109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryptophan/pseuds/tryptophan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank regarded Karen. “You’re the only light left in my life. The only shining bit of goodness left. I look at the world, and I see darkness, evil, shit. Except for you. I’ll stay with you forever, if you let me.”</p><p>Frank holds his old CO's life in his hands and makes a choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Occurrence at Colonel Schoonover’s Cabin

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place starting from Season 2, Episode 12.

“Frank, if you do this, I am done. That’s it. You’re dead to me. Do you hear me?”

He paused. He could end this here, one way or another. 

Frank dropped the gun, zip-tied the Colonel and duct taped him to a chair. He called the police to let them know that he had the Blacksmith and where to find him. He ran out of the woods towards the sound of Karen’s voice. 

“Frank?! Did you-“ Karen asked.

“No.”

“Oh my God,” she shuddered, half hugging him, half falling onto him.

“Let’s go. The cops will be here soon.” 

“Where will we… I mean, my car…” Karen regarded the remains of Ben Urich’s car and the truck Frank had used to t-bone it. 

“I’ve got some money stashed away. We gotta go now, though.”

When Frank had set the trap for the Irish, he’d sacrificed some of the $1.2 million, but had squirreled away well over half of it in safe spots throughout the city, in a planter, under a floorboard, in a gym locker…

They made it back to the city, to one of the safe houses he’d set up. “As soon as the cops get to him, they’ll know I’m alive, and that you’re with me. We need to disappear. He tossed a shirt, a pair of sweats, and a hat at her. “You’re too pretty. People will notice you. Dress down. We can dye your hair later, and get you something other than heels to wear.” He turned his back so she could have some privacy while changing.

“Where are we going to go?” 

“You want to stay with me?”

Karen paused. “You don’t lie to me.” 

Frank’s heart broke and would always break when he heard her confess without confessing, when he heard that combination of light and innocence and pain and scars in her voice. 

“And I never will. We can go wherever we want to. I’ve got $750,000 in non-sequential bills around this city. We can buy new identities and we can disappear. Leave all this shit behind us.”

They bought new identities. Frank Castle became Johnny Tower; Karen Page was Paige Angel (“Sounds like a porn star name,” he remarked. She just smirked.)

They escaped the city and headed upstate. They drove in silence for awhile. “Bonnie and Clyde,” Frank said with a smirk.

“More like Thelma and Louise,” Karen countered.

Frank looked over at her. “Sure. Which one am I?” Karen just laughed in response. 

They drove on a while longer in companionable silence. “We should run off and elope. You ever been married?” Frank asked. 

Karen glanced over at him. “Nope. Neither has Paige Angel.” She paused. “Why would you want to marry me?”

He regarded her. “You’re the only light left in my life. The only shining bit of goodness left. I look at the world, and I see darkness, evil, shit. Except for you. I’ll stay with you forever, if you let me.”

She rested her hand on his. “So, would I have to change my name from Paige Angel to Paige Tower? Because I’ve been Paige Angel for all of two hours, and I don’t know if I’m ready to be someone else,” she teased

He chuckled. “Whatever you want,” and squeezed her hand. 

“So, we’ll go find some City Hall and get married tomorrow.”

Frank paused. “Nah, we can do it quieter than that. I know a guy, and he owes me a favor.”

The next morning, Karen was surprised when they pulled into the parking lot of a small Catholic church. “What…?” she asked, turning to him.

“We were in seminary together.” Karen looked at him. “Long story.”

He banged on the rectory door. “C’mon Mark, open up.” 

A minute later they were both greeted by a man about the same age as Frank, hair messed and eyes still three quarters asleep. “Francis, what in God’s name…?”

“It’s Frank now. Well, Johnny. Good to see you, Mark. You know that favor you owe me?”

Mark regarded them both and stepped aside. “Come in.”

“Seal of the Confessional?” Frank asked. Mark nodded. Frank caught Mark up on what he’d done in the years since they’d last seen each other, and after a half an hour, Mark had agreed to marry them. They recorded their new names and made up some witnesses for the marriage certificate, and started the long drive out to California. Karen said she’d always wanted to visit Los Angeles and see some of the Hollywood glamor, and Frank was willing to do anything to make her happy.

“So, what do we do now?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Get a dog, buy a house, have some kids.” He smirked and bumped her leg with his hand. “Hey, we could get Nelson & Murdock to be the godparents.” Karen laughed. He continued to drive west and south with nothing but their future ahead of them.

~~~

Frank stood in the Colonel’s cabin and felt the recoil of the gun slam into his hand, travel through his wrist, up his arm, and stop at his shoulder. The bullet exited the gun and punched a hole through Colonel Schoonover’s skull, tore through his brain, and exited neatly out the other side of his head. Frank watched himself as though outside his own body, and the weight of his actions slammed home. All possibilities collapsed down into what had been inevitable for a very long time. He was the Punisher.

**Author's Note:**

> Title and “plot” both reference/borrow from the Ambrose Bierce short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," in which a character has an extended, fantasy, shall we say, in a brief moment.


End file.
